It has never been easier to be a bookworm. Yes, I have two overflowing bookshelves in my apartment, but I have a Kindle and installed iBooks on my iPhone. When all else fails, I have audiobooks of everything from
Chronicles of Narnia to
Dune. Even better, Hollywood is churning out book adaptations like nobody's business. It's not just for Twilighters who put up with the Twihards or the kids who run around their neighborhood shouting, "EXPELLIARMUS!" We recently saw
The Invention of Hugo Cabret turned from the world's longest picture book into a captivating film. Those of us who have loved Ender Wiggins for years are finally going to see him on the big screen. So what should be next? Let's explore 10 books that would make movie magic.
10. Sarah, Plain and Tall
I was born in 1980 and my interest in reading hit its stride around the same time that Patricia MacLachlan was publishing this book. It was not until my younger sister brought it home that I read it, but it is still a family favorite. When Jacob Witting places an advertisement for a bride, he receives a response from a Maine native named Sarah who says little about herself, but admits that she is "plain and tall." He has two small children who have not had a mother since his wife died in childbirth and he hopes that this Sarah will be able to step into the role. She is a delightful character who is primarily entertaining because her ways are so foreign to the children that she might as well be an alien. She has never seen a wheat field, but she has seen the ocean. She knows the mechanics of being a mother, but has never touched a lamb. What I find most captivating about this book is the twist on the traditional perception of a stepmother. This book does chronicle the efforts of a family to accept a stranger, but the crisis in the book is that Sarah may not like the family enough to stay. The children know how much she is giving up to make a life with their father and worry that the sacrifice is too much to ask. Glenn Close and Christopher Walken adapted this book for a television movie some twenty years ago, but I believe that it deserves its time on a lager screen. In a world where children can plug their cell phones into their laptops and play Farmville instead of spending time in nature, the tale would be a refreshing change.